Take a Tour of Scotland's Most Epic Roman Fort

The archaeological site just outside the village of Braco in Perthshire, Scotland, contains the remains of both a 1st Century AD Flavian and 2nd Century AD Antonine Roman fort, and several marching camps which included a signal tower. Part of the Roman Gask Ridge, it is said to be one of the most complete Roman camps in Britain, and is one of the best-preserved series of Roman military earthworks in the whole Empire.
Ardoch was one of a chain of camps separated by one-day marches in a generally north-south direction. Other Roman camps in this chain include Strageath, Inchtuthil, Battledykes, Stracathro and Raedykes.
Join History Hit presenter Tristan Hughes in this short documentary as he explores the fascinating history of Ardoch Roman Fort in Scotland. Featuring historians Rebecca Jones and Andrew Tibbs.
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[@BrownFoxWarrior]

I can just imagine a kid growing up in one of those houses in the background of the air shots. If you were able to get away with you, you could spend summer days running around the old ruins playing. Even if you couldn't, it's something surreal to have right out your back window.

[@CameronSmith-fh2rb]

I lived in muthill just over the hill and the modern road still sits on top of the old straight roman road and we used to go to the Fort in the summers to see the roman reenactments

[@Getpojke]

I luckily live just a couple of miles away & used to regularly spend lots of time there with the dog. There's a fair few Roman & other interesting archaeological sites 'round here & quite a few standing stones. Great area to live in, really happy here.

[@johndoh9121]

Its a really good place to find Magic Mushrooms in October

[@celtbhoy1993]

I live in Stirling, love Roman history and never even knew this existed! shows how daunting Roman fortifications must've been to a besieging army, reminds me of Julius Caesar at Alesia fighting Vercingetorix and the Gaul's, How he describes his use of fortifications in his book, The Gallic wars, it's very similar, you can see how he, with veteran troops could defeat an army more than twice his size. Can't remember which prominent Roman figure said it, but there was a saying that nothing won Rome more wars than it's fortifications, and you can see why here.. I certainly wouldn't like to charge up it through spiked 6ft plus ditches whilst under a barrage of missile fire! and that's all before you've even locked swords!

[@doitatit]

Very impressive structure to have survived the century’s. This is a fantastic Channel, thank you.

[@one-re2ub]

It didnt survive the centuries

[@philiprufus4427]

@@one-re2ub It survived a lot longer than you will !

[@kellypaws]

I could listen to Dr Rebecca Jones indefinitely. Absorbing.

[@snotgobblerific]

Ought to check out Caerleon amphitheatre and barracks

[@ENIGMAXII2112]

A very lovely place, with much history attached..

[@bmused55]

That's only 25 miles from me! *Packs drone"

[@yank-tc8bz]

Call in the TIME TEAM.

[@whoarewe7515]

They are starting the program again. Sure they'll be looking for a few jobs

[@nosillalaluna7078]

Wow ! Had no idea this place existed ! Put it on my bucket list , AMAZING AND AWESOME ! Thank you for your outstanding efforts to present to us , such a well-done, and informative video.

[@HistoryHit]

Our pleasure!

[@davidlong3824]

Very interesting love history nice video.

[@mtbdawg4987]

Imagine coming from Italy and experiencing Scottish weather. I have no doubt Romans reached the same conclusion quickly that holding this place wasn’t worth it. Romans soldiers probably begged to go home

[@faydulaksono]

what wrong with scottish weather? roman had conquered england half century before coming to scotland. i thought they have experience to fought a battle on extreme weather..(correct me)

[@robtreby5874]

Nearly all of the soldiers would have been from other places in the Empire, including northern parts with similar winter climates.

[@philiprufus4427]

Many of the Roman soldiers came from what is now Spain,France Belgium and Holland,Germany. In Latin, The Hispana,Gauls, Battaglians'The Germanicus some probably came from what is now England,Wales and Scotland itself. An excavation of the Roman fort on Antonines Wall at Castlecary by Glasgow University in 1973 found stones reffering to the Verduli, Mounted Archers from Syria.

[@joshpullman1690]

@@philiprufus4427 it’s my understanding my that the Romans posted auxiliary soldiers at the opposite ends of the empires to where they were recruited to prevent defection to tribes that the recruits may be ethnically/culturally related to, so in my mind it could have been a very ethnically diverse army, possibly North Africans, Iranians and Levantine alongside the standard northern Mediterranean troops.

[@Nellis202]

@@robtreby5874 that’s exactly right. The vast majority of Roman soldiers weren’t even from the Italian peninsula. I can’t be certain, but I believe most were from modern day Belgium.

[@raymondgill9796]

Fascinating

[@Shebeast3]

incredible

[@David-hi9rp]

I really wish that some of these places could be built or part built to show us what it was like I know GCI helps bet seeing it for real would be fantastic and would bring people and income to protect these sites llike castles

[@Russia-bullies]

As construction destroys history.,I don’t share your wishes.

[@jool7793]

@ Tom Watson. Absolutely, let’s erase a piece of human civilization from history so we can put up overpriced apartments that only the rich can afford.

[@David-hi9rp]

What I mean is something like Pompeii could we not put back a roof to conserve the building and walls and show what the buildings looked like. And other places could use the same type of things with other ruins.

[@euanwalker922]

@Tom Watson it’s not hard to tell that you consume your food through a tube with this take

[@euanwalker922]

@Tom Watson by your logic any piece of grass that has a great deal of historic and archaeological significance could and should be razed for apartment blocks. It doesn’t do nothing for anyone as the very nature of it being a historical site means you learn from it and the history of it, people make content on the site like this video and many others I am sure which creates value. Thousands of years of history are obviously a lot more precious than apartments when the uk has over 250k empty houses and it’s so painful you are that dense

[@carausiuscaesar5672]

Fortress Louisbourg in Cape Breton Nova Scotia Canada is a great re build of part of the 1744 era French fortress on the actual site.Just terrific brings real history to life! Re enactors portray various soldiers administrators and civilians.

[@flippy66]

Has literally nothing to do with this video but ok.

[@sheilawhite8314]

that is so beautiful

[@markusz4447]

Reminds me of the movie Centurion with Fassbender

[@CameronSmith-fh2rb]

That's because it based on the 9th Spanish Legion that disappeared in Scotland in the beginning of the second century. The movie was also filmed in Scotland

[@scotiajinker8392]

Driven by there a million times & never knew it existed.

[@jobrodie7514]

How strange not to get someone from the Roman Gask Project to comment.

[@landsnailproject2875]

So much history in this BEAUTIFUL country. IF you really want independence from us lot down south, well you deserve it. Sorry I'm now too old to run home up there!

[@jamespetrie8488]

I'm sure someone would give you a lift back!

[@hgurskov]

like it alot... (but not all the stickers, know they are sponsers..1 ) Nice build :-)

[@christophersmith5691]

Inchtuthil was an uncompleted full legionary fortress conceived it is thought by Agricola, probably for the XX Legio, to be the lynchpin or headquarters of Roman rule in Scotland - just as a stone curtain wall was under construction it was abandoned due to a change in imperial policy (Domitian) which involved withdrawing from Scotland and shifting troops back to Europe. In Tacitus' famous phrase 'Britannia perdomita et statim missa' - 'Britain was conquered and immediately given back'). The nails found had been buried for concealment upon the timber fortifications being dismantled.

[@Fernandwinnie]

I believe that the largest ever find of Roman nails was discovered just North of Perth at Inchtuthill.

[@Ben-cn4hm]

Wasn't it a huge number, about 3 million or something?

[@sp88k]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inchtuthil

[@user-sz8fi5hv5i]

@@Ben-cn4hm Around 680,000, I think.

[@neilfleming2787]

when were the last excavations? with the improvements in dating methods isn't there more to be done? what about any settlement outside the ditches, is there a road with burials in it?

[@Zakalwe-01]

Reminds me strongly of Chew Green, just a few feet over the Border in Northumbria.

[@DrumToTheBassWoop]

Rochester Roman fort near otterburn barracks.

[@CaledoniaChronicles]

I've been to that fort. It is definitely an impressive place to visit.

[@simon-oy6um]

Looks like a smaller version of maiden castle in dorset 😮

[@cyrilchui2811]

Some questions on marching camp hope someone can help me. Suppose we have 2 Legions marching then there should be 2 such camps, right. What happen when we have 1 Legion plus say 4000 Aux. Did the Aux build their own camp because I don't think 1 camp can accommodate 10K men. Or they followed whatever their practice at home and camp outside the Roman marching camp? I suppose Camp followers didn't follow into dangerous territory so perhaps only a small no. of "civilians" would march with the Legions hence camped inside the Marching camp.

[@CameronSmith-fh2rb]

Families tended to settle in safe territory but there are many factors as to how many and what type of Civilians traveled with a legion. Were they marching to a permanent location or to a forward operating base for a summer offensive into the North. Although the legion's were mostly self-sufficient many people followed from craftsman to engineers and merchants to slave traders. Many of these Forts were part of the gask ridge chain that sits going west to East in the valley of strathearn one of the largest and most fertile valley's in Scotland. The Romans also had smaller forward bases a few miles north where the valley meets the mountains often in the mouth of major mountain passes leading to the grampian mountains just like the one in sma' glen.

[@history_alice]

v cool

[@treehousekohtao]

It's the VO guy from the b1m!

[@iMertin90]

folk say romans didnt care about scotland.. this proves they did.. just couldnt handle the caledonians

[@Jin-Ro]

I think the Romans could handle almost anything, their persistence was their strength. If Scotland had Gold, Silver, dye or spices, then Rome would have conquered the tribes in Scotland in short order. Even today Scotland is mineral poor. Oil, Gas, and Zinc. Nothing the Romans didn't have a ready supply of, or has no use of. The Scottish tribes being too tough is more Scottish ego than based on facts.

[@iMertin90]

@@Jin-Ro our land is protected.. we dont allow mining or such on land for reason we love this country and its beauty

[@campbella2796]

@@Jin-Ro Well the Romans certainly put a lot of effort into not conquering Scotland.

[@tonyjames5444]

They didn't it was more about securing their borders. The Roman's were only interested in Southern/Midland Britain but defending that was difficult so they picked the shortest distance coast to coast and build a wall. What is now Scotland had no real desirable farmland, (what there was wasn't worth the cost of conquest), and also there wasn't the defined tribal structure as there was to the south, this made conquering or forming alligencies difficult which is a tactic the Roman's used often.

[@campbella2796]

@@tonyjames5444 What is your evidence for all those claims: that Rome was only interested in the South of Britain, that Scotland didn't have a "defined tribal structure", and that Scotland didn't have desirable farmland. This video states that the Roman armies had the intention to conquer the north of Scotland in the 1st cent, which can have nothing to do with securing a distant border planned for the north of England. This area also has the greatest density of Roman marching camps in Europe which is a testament to the effort the Romans put in.

[@ianhopcraft9894]

How have the ditches remained so well defined. Is it restoration or a quirk of the geology or land use there?

[@DragonsAndDragons777]

IDK

[@flippy66]

The last one - i.e. a lack of land use, it has been left. It is being destroyed by rabbit burrowing currently though.

[@gmailbox9084]

Please could anyone recommend a good (afforable) book about Roman sites in Scotland?

[@philiprufus4427]

Visit The Hunterian Museum in Glasgow University, it is very informative, or was. I do not know wether the Woke/S N P have 'Knobbled' that also.

[@Ben-cl2co]

I always thought the Roman's never got into Scotland? Could someone explain more about it?

[@60secondscotland.78]

Oh yes, perth, they called bertha. There are forts and camps all the way as far as portmahomack. The fort on this video can be found at braco, greenloaning. Camps usually appear to be close to large native settlements.

[@callmeishmael4870]

It was part of a series of forts See link en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gask_Ridge

[@philiprufus4427]

The Romans gave the Scotti a good Gubbing especially at Mons Graupus where they did not even commit a Legion,leaving The Germanicus Auxiliery's(Germans)to fight the battle. Mons Graupus is a lot further North than Ardoch being reckoned by Historians to be near Aberdeen. They built fortifications in Fife and Angus and also built a WALL between the Forth and The Clyde. The Forth Clyde Canal runs along much of the route. That the Romans could not defeat the people in Scotland is TOTAL GARBAGE,and the Huntarian Museum in Glasgow Univesity is proof. The Romans left Scotland eventually because large parts could not be farmed economicaly. The Romans had an agrarian economy.

[@flippy66]

It's also a brilliant dog walk, although sadly (but appropriately since the Romans are believed to have introduced them) being ruined by rabbit burrowing.

[@itsnotrightyouknow]

I like these when they use animation to show you what they might have looked like.

[@alecbrown66]

If there is a site crying out for lidar, magnetomertry and resistivity, its ardoch

[@yellerdawg100]

The mispronunciation of 'Ardoch' every single time by everyone except Tibbs spoils this

[@DavidFraser007]

Aadok, WTF.

[@AnyoneCanSee]

Imagine being sent all the way to Scotland when you consider all the warm wine-growing beautiful areas of the Roman Empire. I'm in Scotland and I'm wearing three layers of clothing and a woollen hat inside my house. Must have sucked for them, being used to the Mediterranian.

[@bobrobertson9547]

Do you live in a cave? It snows in Italy as well you know.

[@gabrielezatterin7997]

Cave or no cave - evidence of the auxiliary troops on Handrian's wall shows that many weren't actually from Italy or the Mediterranean, but from places like Germany, Belgium and the Holand. The Romans were clever, they knew who to send where. A Belgian would have found it more home-like than a Spaniard. Said this, there were certainly Mediterraneans up there, but they knew what they were getting into I'm sure!

[@perilousjack1964]

Scotland in the summers of 1970, 79. Were fuckin roasting, snow in December, now in Scotland, its wet summers, snow in March, , changes all the time.

[@AnyoneCanSee]

​@@perilousjack1964 - No it wasn't. Scotland is never "roasting". Actually, the Roman Warm Period, or Roman Climatic Optimum, was a period of unusually warm weather in Europe and the North Atlantic that ran from approximately 250 BC to AD 400. So it may have been a little warmer. I'm Scottish and chose to move back to Scotland after living abroad. I like Scotland. But I think it should be pretty uncontroversial that if you were a Roman soldier in Alexandria in Egypt with warm climbs, food and wine from across the empire and many women and they sent you to a random hill fort in Scotland, where you'd have to make your own entertainment between fighting semi-naked barbarians, you'd probably not enjoy the gig too much. Nor should it be controversial that Scotland is not as warm as the meditation in summer or winter.

[@DrumToTheBassWoop]

@@AnyoneCanSee didn't they find letters in Hadrian's wall, and soldiers were complaining about the weather.

[@one-re2ub]

Why do I feel like ardoch is the name the scots gave it and isnt the Roman name

[@rchristie5401]

Its like their arses. The Picts handed them that as well.

[@Tourist1967]

@@rchristie5401 Spare us. That's nonsense. The Roman Empire didn't exactly want Scotland. There was no money in it and the Romans were nothing if not businessmen. All they wanted was something akin to police stations and customs posts. The fact even the Antonine Wall, from Dumbarton to Bo'ness, stretched 37 miles and was never garrisoned by more than 6000 auxiliaries - policemen rather than the Roman equivalent of the Parachute Regiment - and occupied all told for 70 or 80 years until troops were withdrawn for campaigns elsewhere in the empire - sums up the priorities. Mons Graupius, fought perhaps as far north as Aberdeenshire and the only major battle fought by the indigenous peoples, ended in disaster for them.

[@rchristie5401]

​@@Tourist1967 I guess the romans built the wall to keep themslves from raiding into Scotland, then!!. So they went back south to enslave the English and leave the Scots alone. Then bleed them of their riches and gave the English, Roman Culture. lol The great Romans. Who stole everything from every culture they conqured and called it their own invention.

[@DavidFraser007]

Why does she think it's a windswept moor, it looks like well cultivated farmland, and it probably was 2000 years ago.

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

Probably by looking at old parish maps and other documents dating back the middle ages. Much land between villages was not cultivated and was described as moor.

[@DavidFraser007]

@@neiloflongbeck5705 So, much like most of the UK then. Ardoch is still an amazing place, or Aadok as the presenter called it.

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

@@DavidFraser007 back then yes.

[@davidfairbairn8]

They just add in their own pish to fit with their narrative.

[@AthenaSaints]

Romans occupies Britain from 43 AD to 410 AD. That is 367 years. Imagine the Europeans who migrated to United States and Canada in 1655; all their descendants suddenly pack up their bags and go back to Europe in 2022.

[@DragonsAndDragons777]

If this were to make an appearance on the History channel on TV, the ancient aliens would've gotten all the credit

[@peepsibhoy]

My great uncle built it.

[@ryanbonner25]

great great *

[@DrumToTheBassWoop]

Must of been a sight to see for the various tribes, Votadinis, picts etc seeing modern dressed roman soldiers marching across the moors towards your mud huts on windswept hillforts. Equivalent of US soldiers first entering Afghan tribal villages and setting up shop.

[@fotorabia]

They didnt get any further nth than here..never defeated the Highlands or far nth..too cold..too many hills....rivers..islands...and loads of mad bastards..

[@DrumToTheBassWoop]

@@fotorabia that's incorrect they occupied up to the anntonie wall for many years. The votadinis (the old northern welsh by the way), selgovae, novantae and damnoni were occupying south of the wall. I imagine these tribes were causing some trouble in the Romans rear guard, and pulled back to Hadrian's wall. Its not just the northern Scots causing trouble, it was even the southern Scots. The selgove were stated to be too wild to romanise, and were conducting guerilla raids on roman lines. I'm sure someone can correct me if I am wrong. :L

[@damionkeeling3103]

@@fotorabia Romans got all the way to Keith in Moray by following the east coast and then along the top. They may have got as far as Cawdor. The army went overland while the navy shadowed them at sea providing logistical support. The navy then sailed around the top of Scotland and south "confirming" that Britain was an island.

[@heraldeventsandfilms5970]

'Must of' A modern-day mark of a simpleton.

[@DrumToTheBassWoop]

@@heraldeventsandfilms5970 chill, how should of I said that sentence?

[@johnmcneill1033]

Nice video but it doesn’t say anything new. I excavated under Prof Shepherd Frere at Strageath Roman fort in 1986 and he wouldn’t have learned anything that wasn’t known back then

[@Jin-Ro]

Back in the 80's school taught me that Scotland was never occupied by Rome. Seems they absolutely did occupy it.

[@1220b]

Scottish nationalists propaganda.

[@duncanbrough1455]

@@1220b 😂

[@13141Scott]

Only the southern part. They never had a good hold on the north eventhough several well recorded military expeditions were conducted in the north.

[@33m3c]

They had had a foothold in what is now Scotland because what is now England was completly took..

[@Jin-Ro]

@@13141Scott Yeah, probably went to have a look, found it not worth the trouble, and left it. They did exactly the same In Africa and Palestine. Only took what was useful.

[@taffyducks544]

Oh dear, When a Briton puts a Rock onto another Rock, he's told he's built a Roman Wall.

[@willemventer3935]

they had permanent forts so far in Scotland?

[@madyin3509]

Romans built forts everywhere they went, and I assume the Romans had wanderer almost every inch of Scotland

[@sandrider1406]

@@madyin3509 no they couldn’t conquer Scotland - Caledonia - Pictland.

[@madyin3509]

@@sandrider1406 When did I say they could or couldn’t conquer it? I said they probably marched over every inch over, nice try smart arse

[@sandrider1406]

@@madyin3509 hey Bellend, let’s make this clear the Romans had their way with the Poms. They Couldn’t quite cut it in Scotland. Period.

[@madyin3509]

@@sandrider1406 What are you even talking about

[@tdsportscards]

No sound

[@DH.2016]

It's so long ago since I visited this fort that I can't remember when, exactly, but I do recall being absolutely amazed how deep the ditches were when walking inside them (you can't see over the top). I remember thinking that the Romans must have been expecting a lot of trouble to build so many deep ditches and perhaps illustrating how important the fort must have been on their line of communication to go to this extra trouble to safeguard it. But now, as I write, I am also wondering if this site had been occupied for some time and 'extra' ditch building was just simply a means of keeping an idle garrison busy! 8-) p.s. There were also loads of rabbits around at that time and I can only hope these have been eradicated since because their burrows must have caused immense damage to this structure.

[@davidfairbairn8]

Yeah cos rabbits haven’t been there before previously in the last 2000 years.

[@DH.2016]

@@davidfairbairn8 That's a good point and must be considered. Some say the Normans and others say the Romans introduced rabbits to the British Isles. Whether or not the Romans took bunnies with them on this campaign (to eat, and not the Monty Python Holy Grail kind) or how long it took the rabbit population to spread up to Scotland is unknown. But I do recall a Historic Environment Scotland report saying that the rabbit burrows were causing damage.

[@derektaylor8830]

@Tom Watson sad man, lol.

[@philiprufus4427]

@Tom Watson Scotlands already been covered in garbage(developement opportunities)since the sixties,thank you !

[@rchristie5401]

Interesting that an English person calls them Roman Roads in an area that the Celts inhabited for 800 years prior. I bet they loved the Romans for teaching them what roads were!!!! Maybe it was because of those Roman roads that the Celts chased the Romans, of those spectacluar fortifications in the 3rd Centurey and back into England. Where they taught the English how to build ditches. Maybe this English woman can tell us when those road building, fortification wizards, conquered those Scottish misfits and then taught them about sex. With other humans!!

[@theresajv5055]

Ah, the famous Scottish inferiority complex.

[@rchristie5401]

@@theresajv5055 oh, thats good.

[@jool7793]

I forgot that Russell Crowe used to be handsome.

[@sandrider1406]

There is no “Roman Britain” , only Roman England.

[@rchristie5401]

You can not tell them anything.

[@philiprufus4427]

BULL - - - - ,

[@chrisdeanjames2898]

Scotland 1 - Romans 0

[@tibivaslo]

Roma victor! If the Romans had the technology the british empire had, we'd all be speaking latin now.

[@jefffriedberg]

How to make an interesting topic BORRING.

[@jasonpeculiar]

"Scotsland"? That's plenty.

[@peterdonaldhume]

Spoiled for me by the distracting, unnecessary and unprofessional arm waving by the commentators. A little professional presentation advice would have avoided this rookie error. For me it makes the video unwatchable, sadly

[@jamesdiaz793]

Then I think you have some issues. OCD I suspect.

[@MG-bs5mr]

I'm guessing you don't like Mary Beard then?

[@steyn1775]

Lol, enthusiastic people use their arms and their knowledge to show that they are interested in something and like talking about it